Savory Indian chickpea crepes (Pudla)

I am a huge fan of crepes, Indian food and chickpeas. So, when I stumbled upon this recipe for pudla on TheKitchn.com, I felt like the stars had aligned in my favor. I often buy ingredients that I find inciting and want to attempt to use, and then I look for some inspiration, in this case the ingredient was garbanzo bean flour (aka chickpea flour). I have had dosas, Indian pancakes made out of lentils; but, I had never had these genius chickpea crepes before. Both are so flavorful, naturally gluten and dairy free, and perfect for a plant-based protein boost. I followed TheKitchn’s recipe but added a few extra spices which are optional.

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups chickpea flour

1 cup water

1 green finger chili (I didn’t have this so I simply used some diced jalapeño)

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, loosely packed

1 inch fresh ginger (I used about a tsp ground ginger, up to you)

2 teaspoons sea salt

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

coconut oil to grease pan (or use no oil if you have a really good non-stick pan like I do)

(I added about a tsp of curry powder, totally optional; I’m sure this is in no way authentic to the recipe but I like the flavor!)

Directions:

In a medium to large sized bowl, mix together the chickpea flour, chili powder, and salt. Chop the cilantro finely and add it to the bowl along with the ginger and diced green chili or jalapeño (if you have neither I’m sure a dash of cayenne pepper would do the trick). Next, mix in the water and combine until you have a smooth mixture free of lumps. Let sit for at least 30 minutes at room temperature.

Next, heat your non-stick pan to medium-high heat. Add batter to pan and smooth it out into a circular shape trying to get it as thin as possible (like a typical crepe). Cook for about 10-20 seconds or until bubbles start to appear on the crepe and then flip. This process will take a little bit of trial and error but you get the hang of it! Serve with chutney or the topping of your choice. Enjoy!